Ponta Delgada is the administrative capital of the Azores. The city itself is not enough reason to visit the islands, but it is the starting point for most visitors and worth one or two days of walking around. It is situated on the southern shore of São Miguel with the busy Avenida Infante dom Henrique along the sea. The old fort (castelo) with its oldest parts from the 16 th century is at one end of the avenue. The tourist office is at the same avenue and that is also where all buses leave for different destinations around the island.

The city centre is found on the slope with narrow streets bordered by numerous small shops and quite a number of good resaurants. Here are also a couple of old churches, the main one named after São Sebastião.